Latvian shooters win medals at Žalgiris Grand Prix in Vilnius
Latvian athletes competed at the 29th International Shooting Grand Prix in Lithuania, earning multiple awards in both trench and skeet disciplines.
The 29th Žalgiris Grand Prix international shooting competition took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, featuring participants from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Latvian shooters secured several podium finishes.
Trench Shooting
Kārlis Jurgenovskis hit 165 out of 200 targets in qualification, entered the final in second place, and won first place overall. He also became champion in the junior category. Germany's Jörn Bartel finished second (37 hits in the final), and Lithuania's Gediminas Kiela third (27 hits). In the junior trench event, Latvians occupied the entire podium: Patriks Sermolis took second (150 targets), Mārtiņš Freimanis third (149), Niklāvs Vēveris fourth (140), and Emīls Štrauss fifth (104). In adult groups: Group A – Patriks Sermolis 9th, Andris Svārups (144 targets) 10th; Group B – Raitis Onužāns (137) 8th, Atis Vēveris (133) 9th; Group C – Edgars Gailītis won (144), Tālis Jurgenovskis second (127), Normunds Bērziņš third (125). Seniors: Edgars Gailītis 8th, Tālis Jurgenovskis 12th.
Skeet Shooting
Dainis Upelnieks posted the best qualification score – 195 hits out of 200 – and hit 27 targets in the final, finishing third overall. The winner after a shoot-off was Estonia's Andrei Ineshin, second was Lithuania's Tomas Vaitekūnas. In Group A: Lauris Pēteris Vējš (176 targets, 18 in final) 5th, Raiens Lukass Kukutis (170 targets, 17 in final) 6th, Vadims Basovs (161) 9th. In junior skeet: Raiens Lukass Kukutis won (170 targets), Raimonds Ozoliņš second (169), Lauris Erkens fourth (162), Santa Upelniece fifth (161), Deirons Čerņauskis sixth (110). In women's: Santa Upelniece first (161). Group B: Raimonds Ozoliņš first, Valdis Kalējs (164) fourth, Lauris Erkens sixth, Santa Upelniece seventh. This competition served as the final preparation for the Latvian junior team before the U23 European Championships, which will take place in early August in Wrocław, Poland.
